After all, I think that every religious scientist who keeps doing good science (not pseudo-science) eventually either stops being religious or turns into deist (like Einstein, for example).

Eric

Thank you for this message…this is why I have been “drawn” to AstronomyCast.

Tom

Thank you for this amazing blog post! You captured the magnificence of God’s creation in scientific terms, and reconciled them very well.

I am a relatively new Christian, and I have had a lifelong interest in all things astronomy. Those two life elements can have difficulty coexisting, especially given their associated social circles (as you state). The Astronomy Cast episode 45, “The Important Numbers in the Universe”, and now this blog entry have helped me (and others) so much to see how Christianity and astronomy actually reinforce each other. How could something as awesome as the night sky, seen from a dark site, be accidental?

I have sent a link to this blog post to a number of Christian friends. Their feedback was very positive.

Thank you for your Christian faith and your science!!

As an atheist, I cannot say I share your beliefs or world view, but so what! Many atheists, including myself, were religious at one point and decided to find a different path to our grasp of the ultimate source of meaning in the Universe – you are religious, but not offensively so.

I think the concern of atheists is if your Christian beliefs were to be entangled in the science and Astronomy. I listen to AstronomyCast every week in the car between clients – I love your voice and your talent to communicate Astronomy and science is clearly evident. I really appreciate your greatly informative and entertaining presentation of our shared love, Astronomy.

I have not heard you mention your beliefs in the podcasts content (not that it would be a huge deal if you did, but it seems like an Astronomy podcast, not a mouthpiece for religion) so it really does not bother me, and I for one, will continue to enjoy the podcast and all your Astronomical work.

I perceive you as a respectful, scientific person who loves Astronomy and science. Being arrogant about whether you are “right” or “wrong” for holding Christian beliefs may make for interesting arguments, but when those arguments push people aside, and diminish respect for their humanity and development, then we all lose. Pay no attention to flames / criticism, you know what is right for yourself, and you certainly don’t need me, or anyone else to affirm your world view – you know what your work and beliefs mean to you – as long as you have found a happy co-existence and it works for you, then all arguments become secondary to your level of meaning and personal comfort. I recommend to all people that they constantly question their beliefs, and I follow this piece of advice for myself, but hey as long as you are putting out quality AstronomyCasts (as you have and continue to do) then I am sure we can all live with some differences.

You will get no flames from me, and I think that you should be embraced by all thinking and feeling people as a great communicator, a friend of science (as opposed to literal Creationists) and a person just like every one of us who looks up at the wonders of the sparkling night sky and marvels at the beauty and grandeur of this wonderful Universe.

No flames, much love

I don’t see you looking down on atheists, and that respect should certainly go both ways. And this was a really beautiful talk, by the way!

I am a huge fan of astronomy cast and have always enjoyed your writings. I am also a strong atheist. I really enjoyed reading this post and I thank you for putting it up. I have always tried not to be hostile towards religion in general, although sometimes it is easy to fall into the stereotype that all religious people are denying science or reality. This post put you on my list of religious scientists who I really respect, alongside people like Kenneth Miller.

Being an atheist, I have yet to find any reason for believing in a god of any sort. However I find smoovel’s arguments add up to no more than non-sequiters and ad hominem attacks. I didn’t feel like this was a post defending your belief in god, so much as expressing it. That I greatly respect and I think smoovel sadly missed that. Religion is something that interests me greatly. I love discussing it with people not because I want to make them unbelievers, but because they may have the piece of evidence I have been missing. I am passionate for the truth and would love to read more about your thoughts on science and religion.

I really liked how you conveyed a sense of wonder about the universe in this post. I think that is something you need to never stop sharing. You podcast was my first, and is still one of my absolute favorites. Much of what I know about astronomy comes from you. I now teach astronomy to hundreds of 6th graders, and more of my analogies and facts I draw from your show. You pushed my interest in science, and now I want nothing more than to share my passion with as many more people as will listen.

No matter what our other beliefs, we should unite as a species under science. Science should unify, not segregate. We should always yield to the new evidence, and never close our minds to new ideas. Anyone reading this blog should know the universe it a wonderful, breathtaking, and awe inspiring place. I should only hope that more people would agree with me on these virtues, even if not on smaller details.

Thank you again,
Carver

As a Baptist, I only found one word that might be taken by some Christians as a little strong. [YECs will have other issues with it, of course.] It was in the sentence “This is just one of many lines of evidence [b]proving[/b] the big bang.” Did you get any “a theory is just a theory” comments?

I always appreciate your ability to communicate the science and the wonder of astrophysics. Once again, you have shown that you are a wonderful spokesperson for science among a very diverse collection of lay people.

Nice job! The only part that’s disappointing is that you didn’t tell us how your audience liked it.

Thank you,
Bruce

Perhaps it will be astronomy that will allow a new exegesis of Genesis 1 so that greater concordance is found. Can early protoplanets be described with terms such as “without form” and “void”? AB Aurigae is one hint that this may be so. Can certain accretion disks be illuminated enough to allow a privileged observer to describe them as waters? If so, it will be your work and all other astronomers that will bring resolutions that will add maturity to our interpretations. Galileo saw it that way, and he was proven right.

How wonderful are the views mankind is only just now getting of the deep majestic vistas so prolific in every direction when for thousands of years it was so dimly viewed and so greatly underestimated. God’s front yard keeps getting more amazing.

We all have our beliefs. Faith in Christ is still trust in the right place.

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for sharing – I recognize and appreciate how hard it is to put something deeply personal like this on display for all the world.

I think at their heart, the religious instinct and the scientist’s search for meaning share a common root, in a desire to comprehend and make sense out of this awe-inspiring cosmos. They are very different ways of approaching the world, and it’s sometimes hard to see how to reconcile them. Over time, I’ve drifted slowly away from the faith I was raised in, but I still wrestle with these deep questions of meaning and origins and belief and experiment. Trying to find answers to these mysteries is one of the most profound and human things we do, something that can unite people togetherl if we approach it with humility and wonder and a desire to share and learn rather than divide and knock down. I’m glad to hear you’re out there reaching out to share the cosmos with the Templeton meeting and so many more.

– Marshall

P.S. Great meeting you last year at the NSF Postdocs conference. Thanks again!